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thepetitepunk's review against another edition
3.0
this book claims it is “not a book any teen reader will soon forget” and i’d like to say that’s true.
i first read this almost exactly 9 (!!!!) years ago in 8th grade. i gave it 3 stars back then too so clearly it never was my favorite book, but certainly one that stuck with me. it’s such a clear example of what queer teen literature was like back then—covert, angsty, often ambiguous, and always vulnerable to a higher level of criticism. of course many of the negative reviews from a decade ago complain about the ambiguity when it comes to kid and scout’s genders, as if that wasn’t the whole point of this, but that + the second person point of you was what stuck with me throughout all these years. like yes, ambiguous narrator, when you address “you”, you mean ME, an equally ambiguous being!! i think this book was meant to cater to a small, specific demographic in a very small, specific span of years, and i’m happy this book found its way to me.
now that i somewhat work in publishing, it’s almost bittersweet to see how far books have come. there’s a long way to go but there are so many more lgbtq+ teen and middle grade (!!) books lately, including multiple nonbinary middle grade books which absolutely did not exist a decade ago, and i think that’s amazing. but i was a little sad to see that brooklyn, burning has left my library’s shelves. i still remember picking it up just because it was tiny and the cover was shiny. there’s probably not really a huge need/demand for books like this one anymore, but they’ll always have a place in my heart.
i first read this almost exactly 9 (!!!!) years ago in 8th grade. i gave it 3 stars back then too so clearly it never was my favorite book, but certainly one that stuck with me. it’s such a clear example of what queer teen literature was like back then—covert, angsty, often ambiguous, and always vulnerable to a higher level of criticism. of course many of the negative reviews from a decade ago complain about the ambiguity when it comes to kid and scout’s genders, as if that wasn’t the whole point of this, but that + the second person point of you was what stuck with me throughout all these years. like yes, ambiguous narrator, when you address “you”, you mean ME, an equally ambiguous being!! i think this book was meant to cater to a small, specific demographic in a very small, specific span of years, and i’m happy this book found its way to me.
now that i somewhat work in publishing, it’s almost bittersweet to see how far books have come. there’s a long way to go but there are so many more lgbtq+ teen and middle grade (!!) books lately, including multiple nonbinary middle grade books which absolutely did not exist a decade ago, and i think that’s amazing. but i was a little sad to see that brooklyn, burning has left my library’s shelves. i still remember picking it up just because it was tiny and the cover was shiny. there’s probably not really a huge need/demand for books like this one anymore, but they’ll always have a place in my heart.
itsnoahdiaz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mollywetta's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to like this book, and based on the synopsis and favorable reviews, I thought I would. Perhaps it was a matter of timing, but I simply couldn't get into the story. UPDATE: It was totally a matter of timing; I re-read and loved it.
It's a fantastic idea, to explore the ambiguity of gender through second person narration, no use of pronouns, and a name like "Kid".
It's a fantastic idea, to explore the ambiguity of gender through second person narration, no use of pronouns, and a name like "Kid".
mcf's review against another edition
3.0
For about the first third of this book, I was totally entranced by its dreamy romanticism. Told in first person by a 15-year-old semi-runaway, it's the story of falling in love (twice), and the family that grows up around a kid during the summer months he spends on the streets. There are dark moments and themes, certainly, but the overall tone is glossy and wonderful -- Brooklyn has never looked better, no one has ever sung more beautifully, and freedom (even temporary freedom) has never been more possible.
Eventually, though, the tone and outlook shift from endearing and charming to wearing and tiresome, and the characters start to appear less quirky just arrogant and/or naive. Even when that happens, the book remains entirely readable, but the story is inevitably less compelling, and what had once been urgent ends up tired and pat.
Eventually, though, the tone and outlook shift from endearing and charming to wearing and tiresome, and the characters start to appear less quirky just arrogant and/or naive. Even when that happens, the book remains entirely readable, but the story is inevitably less compelling, and what had once been urgent ends up tired and pat.
parkergarlough's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
made me want a summer fling so bad. not sure why it softened the role of the cops so much from the event it was based on though.
lferneau's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book but narrative started to drag in places. Loved the scenes with music
bookgoonie's review against another edition
3.0
Original review posted @ www.bookgoonie.com July 2011
http://wp.me/p1h3Ps-nC
This book has been described as a rough gem. A rough gem--not because it isn't polished, but because it is real. Set on the streets of Brooklyn, rough, broken, not pretty to the average person...the perfect backdrop. Reading Kid's story felt like watching an art film. You felt like you were there. A kind of day in the life. I wasn't sure if there was going to be a happy ending for Kid. Life can't always do a 180 in 200 pages, so I wasn't sure if Kid was going to make it to the other side.
[Felix to Kid] I felt him shrug against me. "I like the sunrise," he said. "But I prefer the sunset, because at least it's honest."..."The sunrise is the rebirth, the promise the sun makes every morning: 'I'm here to stay,'" Felix said. "But it's bullshit. Because every night, it just leaves again."
Kid lives on the street, partially due to her dad and part her own decision. When her father refers to her as "this", my heart broke. What makes it sad is that this isn't an isolated incident. There are so many parents that degrade their children with words or actions. Whether it is over gender identity or career choice, words hurt. Gender identity and preference is part of the angst of this book. I was frustrated not knowing at first, but by the end I think it was why I liked it. Not knowing allowed me to look at Kid and Scout as people. Kid is a great character. She is strong, a great artist, and maintains her innocence. Besides drinking, she doesn't get involved in any of the darker aspects of living on the streets. Her street family is made up of a unique cast of characters, but you love them for their sincere love and caring about Kid.
The music scenes in the book are beautiful. Like poetry themselves. They are what originally drew me into the story. I stayed around for the tortured artist story and got something much better.
"The tone was like honey, better than anything Felix had ever gotten out of the amp, and your voice was more delicious still--warm and sweet, but there was a darkness in it, and it showed me all those places I'd seen in your eyes."
http://wp.me/p1h3Ps-nC
This book has been described as a rough gem. A rough gem--not because it isn't polished, but because it is real. Set on the streets of Brooklyn, rough, broken, not pretty to the average person...the perfect backdrop. Reading Kid's story felt like watching an art film. You felt like you were there. A kind of day in the life. I wasn't sure if there was going to be a happy ending for Kid. Life can't always do a 180 in 200 pages, so I wasn't sure if Kid was going to make it to the other side.
[Felix to Kid] I felt him shrug against me. "I like the sunrise," he said. "But I prefer the sunset, because at least it's honest."..."The sunrise is the rebirth, the promise the sun makes every morning: 'I'm here to stay,'" Felix said. "But it's bullshit. Because every night, it just leaves again."
Kid lives on the street, partially due to her dad and part her own decision. When her father refers to her as "this", my heart broke. What makes it sad is that this isn't an isolated incident. There are so many parents that degrade their children with words or actions. Whether it is over gender identity or career choice, words hurt. Gender identity and preference is part of the angst of this book. I was frustrated not knowing at first, but by the end I think it was why I liked it. Not knowing allowed me to look at Kid and Scout as people. Kid is a great character. She is strong, a great artist, and maintains her innocence. Besides drinking, she doesn't get involved in any of the darker aspects of living on the streets. Her street family is made up of a unique cast of characters, but you love them for their sincere love and caring about Kid.
The music scenes in the book are beautiful. Like poetry themselves. They are what originally drew me into the story. I stayed around for the tortured artist story and got something much better.
"The tone was like honey, better than anything Felix had ever gotten out of the amp, and your voice was more delicious still--warm and sweet, but there was a darkness in it, and it showed me all those places I'd seen in your eyes."
araleith's review against another edition
1.0
I spent this entire book waiting to care about any of it. It never happened.
bsaifs's review against another edition
2.0
well the main characters romance was cute. i didnt understand how kid fell in love with scout. kid just seemed like the type of person to fall hard for people very quickly and scout was a new person could fall in love with. i didnt get it. but it was cute. we barely knew anything about scout. when scout talked there were just lines describing how scout would talk abd how kid qas enamored. but there could have been quotes of scout actually talking. all i know is that scout sings and not where scout is from or anything. i liked the premise of the book but i felt like the fact that they had no pronouns or gender should have been specified. it was once very rudely pointed out by kids dad but to me it felt like the author thought it would be cool to just not mention either characters gender without specifying that they were nonbinary, agender or just had no gender. i just would have liked the characters say that they did not identify within the gender binary or something.